Smoke generator



May 3, 1966 s. B. STEINBERG SMOKE GENERATOR Filed Jan. 28, 1963 SPRA YHEAD ENCLOSED CHA MBER FIG. I

/2 PRESSURE A/R v GAUGE //VLE7' PRESSURE RE GULA TOR FIG. 2

IN VENTOR Samue/ 5. Sfemberg BY g ATTORNEY aerosol smoke from DOP(di-octylphthalate).

United States Patent 3,249,553 SMOKE GENERATOR Samuel B. Steinberg, 534W. Franklin St., Baltimore, Md. Filed Jan. 28, 1963, Ser. No. 254,136 1Claim. (Cl. 252359) This invention relates generally to smoke generationequipment, and more particularly it pertains to apparatus for producinglarge quantities of smoke from a liquid.

There are at present time methods of creating a liquid The first methodemploys a generator which includes a reservoir of the liquid DOP,heating elements, agitating means, and a moving air stream directedacross the surface of the liquid.

The other method creates smoke from DOP by atomizing the liquid withoutthe use of heat.

Both methods for liquid smoke generation are very limited as to thequantity of smoke produced and disappointing even when used in pluralityor in combination.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a smokegenerator system using liquid DOP which will create large amounts ofsmoke much greater than heretofore with relatively simple and compactapparatus.

Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus for subjectinga large surface of liquid aerosol to gas contact for large quantityproduction of smoke.

Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus for generatingliquid smoke which is economical to manufacture, efllcient and reliablein operational use, and which is compact and easy to maintain.

Other objects and attendant advantages of this invention will becomemore readily apparent and understood from the following detailedspecification and single sheet of accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view (partly broken away) showing a smoke generatorsystem comprising this invention; and

FIG. 2 is. a vertical section taken on line 22 of FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the improved smoke generator 8 includes a pluralityof conventional venturi type spray heads 10 located in a chamber 14 in ahousing 15 having a lid 17. These spray heads 10 operate from a singlesource of airpressure 12. The present arrangement and generator 8 differfrom the employment of a plurality of spray heads working in the open orambient conditions by providing the housing 15 with a common air tightenclosed chamber 14, within which the spray heads 10 operatecooperatively to produce a heavily saturated atmosphere. The chamber 14also serves as a common reservoir for an aerosol oil 16.

As best shown in FIG. 2, each spray head 10 draws oil 16 at the desiredcontrolled rate of feed through its individual feed pipe 20 and throughthe feed dome 22 for discharge across a venturi 24 into the upper part26 of the reservoir 14. Only the finer particles remain ai rborne.

Approximately 10% of the oil passing through the feed dome 22 isconverted to smoke.

The heavier droplets 28 comprising the remainder as well as thegenerated smoke particles discharge downwardly over and against thecommon surface 30 for all the spray heads 10.

Thus, there is a great deal of agitation of the liquid oil 16 wherebyits surface tension is continuously. broken up by the returning droplets28. Furthermore, the large exposure of surface 30 very effectuallycauses the atmosphere in the upper part 26 of the chamber 14 to become athoroughly saturated fog or smoke which is then ejected from the outlet18 by the spent air pressure which operated spray heads 10.

Patented May 3, 1966 To operate the smoke generator 8 it is firstattachedto a source of clean, dry air of at least one hundred poundsworking pressure and able to deliver twenty-five cubic feet of air perminute. The reservoir 16 is filled with DOP so that each of the sprayheads may draw from it to create the smoke. The lid 17 is clamped to thetop of the housing 15 so that the spray heads 10 are totally enclosed. Aflexible two-inch or greater diameter hose may be connected to theoutlet port 18 of the smoke generator 8 when it is desired to carry thesmoke to a point removed from the generator 8. The generator 8 isoperated by turning on each of the control valves v and adjusting theflow of air to approximately six cubic feet per minute through eachspray head 10 and the pressure is adjusted to thirty-five psi.

The reason why this smoke generator 8 is superior to any other kind isdue to its ability to create very large amounts of smoke without the useof heat, aging chambers, storage chambers, and the like. The smokecreated is regulated to a particle size which is convenient for use andof such a concentration that it may be used in systems involvingthousands of cubic feet of air moving constantly. The extreme simplicityof the smoke generator 8 enables it to be used with virtually nomaintenance problem.

' Obviously many modifications and variations of the present inventionare possible in light of theabove teachings. It is, therefore, to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claim the invention maybe practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:

An aerosol generator, comprising, structure defining a liquid tighthousing having a chamber therein, di-octylphthalate aerosol liquid insaid chamber having an upper surface defining a common space between theupper portion of said housing and said upper surface of saiddioctylphthalate aerosol liquid, means including three horizontallyspaced venturi type spray heads linearly positioned in said common spaceabove said upper surface of said di-octylphthalate aerosol liquid, eachsaid spray head having a feed pipe dipping into said di-octylphthalateaerosol liquid, a source of air pressure connected in parallel to saidspray heads, said air pressure being 35 psi. at each said spray head,with approximately six cubic feet of air per minute flowing through eachsaid spray heads, said housing having an outlet from said common spaceof said chamber intermediate the end positioned spray heads of saidspaced venturi type spray heads, whereby when said spray heads arepressurized by said air pressure, said di-octylphthalate aerosol liquidis drawn through said venturi type spray heads and atomized at least inpart, with the remaining unatomized di-octylphthalate aerosol liquidbeing discharged from said venturi type spray heads and returned againstsaid upper surface of said di-octylphthalate aerosol liquid in saidchamber, and with the spent air pressure discharging said atomizeddi-octylphthalate aerosol liquid from said common space in said chamberthrough said outlet of said housing for further utilization thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,859,770 5/1932Fleisher 239215 2,613,067 10/1952 Goodyer 2612 2,709,577 5/1955 Pohndorfet al. 239-338 X 2,744,737 5/ 1956 Van Vliet 261-91 2,890,765 6/1959Friedell 239338 X NORMAN YUDKOFF, Primary Examiner.

